22 June 2021
Motorbikes and aeroplanes are a great combination and they worked spectacularly well together last week to deliver time-critical bacteria from a healthy donor in Birmingham to a patient with an urgent need in an acute hospital in Belfast.
The aircraft was a Piper PA-28 from Azure Flying Club at Cranfield, flown by Guy Gratton, a member of Civil Air Support, the organisation which grew out of the former Sky Watch.
Civil Air Support (CAS) worked with the National Association of Blood Bikes in a three-leg operation to deliver the materials, FMT (Faecal Microbiome Transplant).
Guy Gratton of CAS flew the mission in a PA-28. Top: Blood Bike meets aeroplane at Halfpenny Green. Photos: CAS
On Monday evening last week, Guy repositioned a PA-28 (G-BTNT) from Cranfield to Halfpenny Green airport, Wolverhampton and filed an IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) flight plan in readiness for Tuesday’s mission.
Pre-flight checks began at 08:30 on Tuesday morning and the FMT samples arrived by Blood Bike shortly before 09:00. The Warrior was airborne by 09:16 and a climb to the planned cruising altitude of 8,000ft was expedited by Air Traffic Controllers who understood the urgency of the mission.
Guy routed north towards Stoke on Trent before turning north-west and crossing the English coast. Some 50 minutes later, the Warrior passed overhead Port St Mary on the south-west peninsula of the Isle of Man, and from there Guy continued into Belfast City Airport, landing at 11:36.
Handling agents AVFlight expedited Guy’s arrival and, five minutes after touchdown, the cargo was handed to another motorbike rider who took it to Mater Infirmorum hospital in the city centre.
Civil Air Support (CAS)
National Association of Blood Bikes (NABB)
3 comments
Very worthy cause and I’m sure the role was vital and much appreciated by everyone involved. I just can’t get over the idea of guy smiling away with a bag of poo on his seat.
I know what you mean but, if you were really unwell and had chronic diarrhoea for a month, needed IV fluids to keep you hydrated and had tried everything else to get better – you’d smile at what was on Guy’s seat as well! Another great effort by CAS at NO cost to the public purse as all time and aircraft costs are donated. Well done Guy and the wider team.
i like the idea of that